Letter: Don't call it a 'game farm'

Wednesday

Mar 12, 2014 at 8:27 AMMar 12, 2014 at 8:28 AM

The name “game farm” to describe the proposed land use on the west side of Holland Township is a misnomer. Neither does it meet the definition of a shooting reserve. Although hunting has taken place on this property in the past, this proposed use now before the township is not even hunting.Animals of various kinds will be raised and others imported into an enclosed area to be shot from a raised platform. This is simply target practice with live animals, which has little to do with the sport of hunting. Although the application lists several species of animals such as white tail, mule and fallow deer, elk, caribou, rams and pigs to be shot, it also states that they are not limited to those listed. If anyone requests a certain species and is willing to pay for it, an exotic animal could also be imported.I am not opposed to hunting or gun ownership, but this activity does not belong in a residential area. Gunfire will be heard at any time of daylight, not just during hunting season. Having lost a cousin to a misplaced shot at a “safe” firing range, I instinctively react to shooting in a residential area. I adamantly oppose this proposal.This also has the real potential to adversely affect property values. Some prospective buyers will refuse to purchase a home next to a shooting area, and rightly so. I live across 144th Avenue on the Stu Visser Pine Creek Nature Preserve and would never have purchased my home if hunting were permitted there.The talk about animal education and teaching gun safety, admirable as it is, can be addressed without shooting. In addition to the unsettling noise, this is a business that will be a risk to the surrounding residences. Common sense tells us this is an inappropriate use of this land.If you are opposed to this proposal, be sure to write the Holland Township board and/or attend the next planning commission meeting at 7 p.m. April 1 at the Holland Township office.Don Bergman Park Township